


The Valet

by fireroasted



Category: Mamamoo, Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 22:26:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11999199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireroasted/pseuds/fireroasted
Summary: Beautiful, sweet, kind, and a professional above all else, Moon Byulyi was the perfect Valet. It was a simple agreement: to be the perfect platonic companion for women everywhere. Her dream job was fulfilling and uncomplicated. Until it wasn't.





	The Valet

 

Moon Byulyi was a professional in everything she did. She was a star Valet: beautiful, gracious, sweet, kind, a wonderful dancer, and a strict observer of the proprietary boundaries her job demands. Women loved her, and she loved them. Women were the queens of her world, and treating them well was second nature. It was a perfect, uncomplicated job. 

Or so it was supposed to be. 

When her best friends, Hyejin and Wheein, began the company two years ago, she had fallen head over heels in love with the idea of a service dedicated to giving women the simple, chaste, and caring comfort that all women deserve. No strings attached. “It’s time to give the power back to the women,” Hyejin had explained. It was a sunny day, Byulyi remembered, and she was freshly out of university  with little ambition to guide her through the trials of adulthood. Hyejin sat across from her, under the shade of an outdoor umbrella on a patio. She remembered the exact red of Hyejin’s blouse, and the pillowy foam of her caramel macchiato the way people do when their life in life-changing moments. 

“Sometimes a girl gets out of a relationship,” Hyejin had gone on, “and all she wants is a bit of comfort. Or maybe a girl gets invited to a wedding, and she doesn’t want to brave the nauseating comments of judgemental relatives without a plus one. We’ve all been there. That’s what I want to provide. Comfort. Following?” 

Byulyi nodded swiftly. 

“So it’s kind of like a…partner for hire service. But nothing romantic, and definitely not sexual. It’s the key parts of the perfect relationship without the attachment of a relationship itself. I'm going to call them Valets. Like a personal assistant, but more intimate.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Four hours max. That’s how long our Valets can get rented out for. More than that and the fantasy starts to break, and we don’t want that. They’re there to treat our clients like queens because god knows every girl goddamn deserves it, and that’s it. They treat our clients like queens, then a couple of hours later? Poof! The magic wears off, and it's all just a beautiful memory. Something the rub out the bad stuff, y'know?”

“That’s great, Hyejin, but what does it have to do with me?” 

She could still remember the way Hyejin’s eyes lit up as she leaned forward with a mischievous smirk, one hand folded neatly under her chin. “Because, Byulyi-unnie, I want you. You are the perfect Valet, and I know you won’t turn me down.”  

And she was right. It was an offer she couldn’t refuse. 

This job was her dream come true. While she had always somehow managed to entice women with her well-faked confidence and good looks, relationships seldom lasted long once her partners discovered the truth about her shy, awkward personality. Being a Valet gave her the opportunity to perfect her mask, but it was a double-edged sword when women realized what her job entailed, and she was often left to wonder whether it would be more preferable to sell her body rather than her love.  

Such a service invited a fair share of women who could not shake the fantasy, and while indulgence was more than a little enticing, she knew it could never end well once the illusion was truly broken. And so, after months of fumbling awkwardness, testing boundaries, and negotiating her own emotions, Byulyi eventually learned to bow out. Always cleanly, always gracefully, and never without giving the power back to her queens.

Byulyi didn’t mind anymore. Though her two best friends remained unconvinced, she was perfectly happy with her bachelor lifestyle. She had a purpose now, and the ability and resources to make women happy in a way that she never could in her real life. Being a Valet  _ was _ her real life, and she didn’t need more than that. 

 

—

 

On this particular cloudy Friday, she had strolled into the office with smile on her face, oblivious as can be about what the day was going to entail. 

Wheein was spinning in her chair at the front desk with a clipboard, prettily framed inside the manmade waterfall behind her. The lobby was modest, but cleanly decorated. Aside from the water running over a grey stone wall behind Wheein, there were only two lime green chairs and an end table, where a miniature bust of Adonis made its home. Past the waterfall was Hyejin’s office, prep rooms for the employees, a waiting room, and kitchenette. Beyond that, through the glass doors, was a garden where Wheein filled her time in between her busy schedule. 

“Good morning, unnie,” she greeted with a dimpled smile. “You look gross today. What’s going on?” 

Byulyi smiled, and rested her elbow on the white marble counter. “Don’t know. Just feels like a good day.” 

Wheein scoffed, and handed her the clipboard. “Got a date coming up, or something?” 

Byulyi looked over her bookings for the day, and signed it. “Two bookings today? Nice. And no,” she said, twirling the pen a few times before handing everything back to Wheein. “Haven’t really been able to meet people lately. Thinking I’ll just mooch off you two forever and grow old with Daebakkie. Not a bad plan, don’t you think?” 

Wheein made a face. “I don’t wanna be there when even your dog finds you too annoying. I can just imagine you crying into his fur when you’re all old and wrinkly because he didn’t greet you at the door or something.” 

“Aish, so rude to your elders, Wheeinie.” 

Wheein ignored her. “Hyejinie got you a new suit,” she said instead, gesturing vaguely to the space behind her. “It’s in your prep room. She figured our star Valet ought to stand out a little more.” 

“Then she can start charging more, eh?” 

Wheein chuckled. “Well we have our honeymoon to think about.” 

Byulyi glanced at the glittering ring on her friend’s finger in recollection of their recent engagement. “Think I can hire a Valet to go to your wedding with me?” 

“Mm, I can reserve Seulgi for you,” Wheein said with a grin. “We can have our top Valets unite.”

Byulyi groaned loudly. “Not that kid.”

“I thought you liked her clumsy, awkward ways around women.”

“Gross,” Byulyi made a face, “she’s like my sister.”

Just then, Hyejin stepped out into the lobby from the alcove behind the waterfall. She automatically took her place beside Wheein, her hand against the curve of her back as she leaned in for a quick kiss. “What are you doing out here, Hyejinie?” Wheein asked. “Are you bored? Do you need more paperwork to keep you company?” 

Hyejin scoffed. “I’d rather have you in there keeping me company,” she replied with a wiggle of her brows. Wheein slapped her playfully, but did not seem to be put off by the idea in the very least. “I heard Byulyi-unnie crying, so I came to watch.” 

“Oh, she was just saying how much she would  _ love _ to hire Seulgi to be her boyfriend for our wedding.” 

“Mmm, what a beautiful couple,” Hyejin chuckled. “You think Seulgi would wear the pants in the relationship?”

Wheein eyed Byulyi up and down. “Oh, for sure.”  

Byulyi stepped back from the counter, head thrown back in a dramatic sigh. “I hate both of you. So much.” 

“Oh, honey, let me fix your collar,” Wheein said, ignoring her moaning employee to straighten her  fiancé e’s shirt. 

“You two are so gross,” Byulyi added. “Seriously. Just stop.” 

Hyejin smirked. “Why don’t you go try on your new suit? You’ve got an appointment in an hour, so you better be ready.” 

Byulyi rolled her eyes and began walking off. “You two are jerks, and I don’t know why I love you. But it’s okay because I’m still having a great day,” she yelled to the couple behind her. “Also. I’m taking the coupe.” 

Fortunately for her, Hyejin was too busy losing herself in Wheein’s eyes to notice the twirling keyring she’d taken from the front desk earlier around her finger. 

Though the job wasn’t perfect, there were luxurious benefits to being a Valet. Aside from her personal closet of tailored suits, she was entitled to fine wine and the occasional fast car. The exorbitant prices meant only the highest quality of services. She’d gotten used to seeing her clients in skyscraping suites while they cried on her shoulder, then going home to her modest two-bedroom and collapsing onto her modestly scruffy loveseat. 

And now, as she ran a hand over the soft, white merino wool of her new suit, she certainly did not mind these luxurious benefits that Hyejin and Wheein had given her. She unbuttoned the blazer to admire the light blue-silver silk vest, shirt, and tie underneath. A brand new pair of shining, white leather shoes sat in its box awaiting her attention beside the rest of her ensemble. Despite Hyejin’s numerous flaws, nobody knew how to spoil a girl better. 

Dressed-up, made-up, and ready for her day, she slid into Hyejin’s coupe with a satisfied grin on her face. She pressed the ignition and the engine roared like a tiger then dimmed to a soft purr. Her grin broadened, then disappeared altogether when her phone in the passenger seat lit up with an incoming call. Her fingers reluctantly released the steering wheel, swallowing nervously as Hyejin’s name seemed to flash white anger at her against the black backdrop. 

“What?” She said, coolly as she could. 

Her heart soared at the sound of Wheein’s voice on the other end, calm, still, and professional as ever. “Unnie, are you taking the Aston Martin?” 

“Maybe.”

“Well, take care of it. Seulgi needs to tomorrow to pick up a client.” 

“Okay.”

Wheein sighed. “And next time, unnie, if you wanted to take a car, just ask. Or, you know, sign it out like everyone else instead of pretending you’re so sneaky. We spoil you enough as it is.”

Byulyi laughed, knowing full well true it was. “I love you guys,” she cooed.

“Make up your mind,” Wheein said in mock exasperation. Byulyi could almost hear the smile in her voice. “Have fun today, unnie. And please,  _ please _ remember to return the car tonight.” 

 

—

 

Her first client was business as usual in middle-class neighbourhood. She had pulled up to a glittering new apartment, earning puzzled looks on the street when she stepped out of her car and into the building, holding a slim bottle of wine. A girl in the elevator sneaked glances all the way up to the 27 th floor where her client lived, and she could not resist winking at her through the reflection of the elevator doors. As the doors closed behind her, she caught a glimpse of the girl’s bright red face and smiled. 

She met her client at the door, recited her introduction, and was invited inside. It was her client’s day off, and she didn’t want to be alone, so she requested for company. It was, in truth, not the first time that Byulyi had been requested by Miss Irene Bae since her four-year relationship ended six months ago, and each time the explanation was the same, but she respected the boundaries of this service so far and Byulyi did not mind her company in the least.

After Byulyi prepared a late lunch, they conversed comfortably at the dining table. “Has she called again?” Byulyi asked as she poured a glass of wine and extended the glass to her client. 

Irene smiled, small and shy. “No. She’s gone for good. It’s strange. Waking up and realizing she’s halfway around the world. It scares me to think this is going to be a trend. Has change always been so scary?” 

“Come here,” Byulyi said, standing up and rounding the table. She pulled her up gently, opened her arms, and engulfed Irene in a big hug. Then, stepping and behind her, she pressed both thumbs to the knots of muscle below Irene’s neck. “You’ve been working so hard,” she said, easing out the tension in her shoulders. “You are a beautiful, kind, intelligent, hard-working woman, and you need someone who will appreciate all of that. Change is scary, but I know how strong you are. And sometimes, it might not be a bad thing.” 

Irene sighed and fingered the stem of her empty wine glass, her expression as stoic as always. Byulyi immediately retrieved the bottle to fill the void, and wished she knew the words to fill Irene’s void too. She resumed the massage in silence. Once she felt her body begin to relax beneath her fingers, she gave her a brief hug around her back and asked if she’d like a foot massage as well. 

Irene smiled and shook her head. “No, you’ve done more than enough.” 

But still, she could tell that Irene was unhappy, so she pulled her trump card: “Maybe you’d like to go for a ride instead?” 

At that, Irene finally lit up.

They drove to the outskirts of the city where Hyejin recently partnered with a country club to give Valets a place to relax with their clients—a modest 100 acres of land divided into an 18-hole golf course. The clubhouse sat on the edge of the 4th hole, boasting broad wooden beams and glass walls that overlooked the greenest hills and the bluest pond. In the evening, the sun would settle between the hills and radiate the forest beyond. No client could resist the secluded beauty of such a setting.

Not even one as stoic as the doll-like Irene. 

The wind in their hair blew back their worries and by the time they neared the club, Irene looked visibly ruddier with joy, though she did nothing more to show it. They pulled into the parking lot, where another of Hyejin’s cars was already parked alongside a handful of others. “Looks like another Valet is here,” Byulyi said with a smile. “Perhaps you’d like to meet them for a change of pace?” 

Irene gazed into the distance. “Maybe... It’s beautiful out here today.”

“Oh yes.” Byulyi offered the crook of her arm, and led them through the lobby and out into a canopied deck, overlooking the endless greens.

“I don’t particularly care for golf myself, but I can never get enough of the view,” she said, pulling out a chair for Irene. Irene nodded. “I will be right back with some drinks. Soak up the sun, lay back, close your eyes, and just relax.”  

By the time she returned with two glasses of wine, someone else had taken her seat. Stranger still was the unfamiliar sound of Irene’s open laughter. Baffled, Byulyi walked closer and saw the familiar black suit.  

Why was she not surprised?

“Byulyi-unnie!” the other Valet cried, scrambling so quickly to stand up from her seat that her chair fell backwards. She picked it up and ducked her head in a series of frantic bows. 

Byulyi chuckled. “Relax, Seulgi. You looked like you were having fun.” 

“O-oh yes, Miss Bae is…uhm…she has a wonderful sense of humour,” the young Valet said with a fierce blush across her cheeks. Byulyi raised a brow, and cast a glance at her client, who met her gaze steadily, the strange, easy smile still hanging from her lips. 

It seemed like only yesterday that she was tasked to train the young Valet, so painfully nervous at first that she could barely pour wine without shaking her hands. And now here she was, still awkward, still clumsy, still so unconsciously endearing that it was almost a superpower. 

“Seulgi, why are you here by yourself? Do you have a client too?” Irene asked. Seulgi looked at Byulyi, who stared back expectantly.

“Um, no. I came because our bosses asked me to take a look at the club. I think they’re probably considering it for their wedding,” Seulgi explained. Byulyi nodded along, still pondering the ease at which Seulgi befriended her client. 

“But you’re still wearing a suit,” Irene said, gesturing to the deep coal-black of Seulgi’s ensemble. 

Seulgi puffed out her chest a little with a proud grin. “Oh yes! We always have to look sharp when we represent the company.”

Irene muffled a laugh behind her hand. “That’s cute,” she said.

Aside from bringing out drinks and sparse contributions to the conversation, Byulyi had taken a backseat to the whole experience, watching in wonder as Seulgi and Irene seemed to forget her presence almost entirely. 

In all of her two years as a Valet, Byulyi had never watched another fully-fledged Valet in action. She had accepted the overwhelmingly positive feedback from her clients, wearing them like medals on her lapel, and it was a strange feeling to be so completely overshadowed by another. Especially one as inexperienced as Seulgi. 

Her experience with Irene had been a series of practiced formalities adapted to suit Irene’s personality—multiple sessions culminating into a fulfilling, yet professional, bond. But Seulgi seemed to open her up effortlessly, thrusting her into a whole new world without complaint. And though Byulyi was no doubt impressed, there was something else in Seulgi’s eyes as she smiled brightly at their client. Something definitely trying to push past the boundaries of professionalism. 

Later, when she dropped Byulyi off at the curb of her next destination, Byulyi glanced over at Irene in the passenger seat before leaning over Seulgi’s window. 

“Remember, Seul,” she said, low in the  young Valet’s ear, “Irene is a client. You are a Valet. You must treat her like a queen, but she is not  _ your _ queen, alright?” She clapped her on the shoulder. “Don’t forget.” 

Seulgi nodded quickly, a nervous knot in her throat. Byulyi flashed Irene a brilliant smile , satisfied with the slight nod in reply, and waved goodbye to them both . 

 

—

 

She gazed up at the upper-crust high rise of her next client, then nodded to the concierge through the glass doors in a moment of mutual appreciation for the uniform. Like she had done so many times before, she recited her introduction into the intercom, and after a long pause, was buzzed in by muted beep.

As she strode into the lobby, she suddenly found herself missing Daebakkie and the modest comforts of her modest life—far, far away from her continuing façade. But she practiced her most charming smile in the reflection of the elevator walls and rehearsed her lines several times over as she slowly made her way up to the very top floor. And, thankfully, the doubt disappeared. 

She recalled her client’s profile with the pretty picture attached. She was an attractive woman, like so many others, and a successful lawyer to boot. Byulyi had seen her share of women like her, whose suit collections, rivalling her own, burned with the kind of power she could only hope to imitate in her own line of work. She pictured the woman, stern and cold, too used to the high tension of testosterone-drunk competition to be comfortable having someone take care of her. And it always gave her extra joy to be able to melt those hard exteriors, even if it was just for an evening. Every woman deserved to be loved, especially those brave enough to fight the hardest battles. 

By the time she stood at the ornate door at the end of the long, carpeted hallway, she was already sporting her signature smile with just the right amount of wrinkle in her nose to start a conversation. 

She raised a fist to knock at the dark wood, but the door unexpectedly swung open, and a woman dashed out, stopping only inches from her own frame. 

“Oh!” The woman looked up to meet her bewildered eyes. Though her chestnut hair now flowed in pink waves, this woman had to be the attractive lawyer with the cold eyes and set lips, though her soft expression and pink cheeks seemed to try to tell a different story. Her tight fitting, low-cut black dress nearly took Byulyi’s breath away, but she quickly steadied herself and readjusted her crooked smile. She’s a client, she chided herself silently, and you’re a professional above all. She had learned early on not to be affected by the inevitable beauty of her many clients, and just like that, the momentary infatuation passed. 

“Who are you?” the woman asked.  

Byulyi stepped back with a bow. “My name is Byulyi,” she said, placing a palm on her heart, “and I am your Valet for the evening. It is very nice to meet you, Miss Kim.” 

Her client furrowed her brows. “That can’t be right. I did not ask for a woman.” 

Byulyi’s eyes widened slightly. Wheein’s legendary organization skills had never mixed up a client before, especially not clients as valuable as Kim Yongsun. She bowed deeply and apologized. “We can send your preferred Valet as soon as we can,” she added. 

Yongsun shook her head, her expression wrought with undeniable exasperation as she tried to stay calm. “No, we are late enough as it is. We will have to figure it out on our way to the restaurant.” 

The next thing she knew, Byulyi was in the passenger seat of a brand-new, ruby-red Tesla, clawing at anything she could for dear life as Yongsun weaved through traffic like it was the race of the century. At the same time, she spoke animatedly, with both hands deserting the safety and comfort of the wheel once in awhile for emphasis. Byulyi kept a tight smile on her face, but deep down found herself face-to-face with a barrage of existential questions. 

“Miss Kim, I think you should slow—”

“Oh, please, you don’t have to be that formal, do you?” Much to Byulyi’s horror, she released her grip on the wheel to point a finger and chide, “I bet I’m older than you, Miss Byulyi. Why don’t you call me unnie?” 

“I’m sorry, I—”

The car swerved, nearly diving into oncoming traffic—Byulyi squeaked, clinging onto the door for dear life. 

“Call me Yongsun-unnie,” she said, pouting. 

“I—”

“Byul-ah,” she whined as if they were old friends, then continued, mimicking Byulyi’s voice in cute, high-pitched squeaks, “‘Yongsun-unnie, you’re so pretty. Yongsun-unnie, you’re the best.’ Try it, try it!” 

The sudden brake at a red light sent Byulyi forward, pressing against her seatbelt—currently her saviour and best friend—with a grunt. She could feel Yongsun’s leaning into her space expectantly as they waited for the light to change. Once her soul returned to her body, she cleared her throat. 

“Yongsun-unnie,” she said, her pale lips curving. 

“Good.”

If Yongsun noticed the cold sweat forming on Byulyi’s forehead throughout the ride, she didn’t show it. The green light blinked—Byulyi sent a quick prayer to whoever was listening. “Ah, you should know that my private life has always been of great interest to my family,” Yongsun went on calmly. “They’ve been nagging me for years to get married no matter how many times I tell them that I’d prefer not to, especially not to the kind of boys my parents want me to marry. I’ve always put my career first, and this isn’t going to change just because I’ve reached an arbitrary range of marriageable age. It’s ridiculous.”

Byulyi nodded stiffly, then yelped when they went around a passing truck, the mirror narrowly missing the truck’s side by a few short centimeters. 

“Now that my sister is getting married, they’re putting even more pressure on me. The truth is,” she paused to give Byulyi a meaningful look, “there is  _ no _ man on Earth who can convince me that marriage is worth it.” 

Byulyi forgot her mortal crisis long enough to digest those words, wondering if she meant what she thought she meant. She tested the waters. “There are all kinds of meaningful companionship in the world. Romance is not the only experience that can fill the kind of voids our souls sometimes desire.”

“Oh, but I believe in romance.” Another meaningful look. Byulyi could not tear her eyes away from the red lipstick in the low light. “I believe in romance very much. Don’t you?” 

Byulyi chuckled. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” 

“Good. Perhaps this has worked out for the best. It’s only Yonghee today. Let’s see how she feels about me standing beside another woman. I have to face the music eventually. Yes… I think we can have some fun with this,” Yongsun said. “I want you to be attentive, but not too much, alright? I will introduce you as my friend, but I want you to pretend you care for me in a deep, yet painfully unspoken way.”

“Perhaps…you’ve misunderstood what we are trained to do as Valets.” 

“Hyejinie assured me that you Valets will go above and beyond to make their clients happy,” she smirked. “Isn’t that right?” 

She has never heard anyone so casually refer to the indomitable woman such a cute nickname, aside from her fiancée. But before she could comment, they’d pulled into the cul-de-sac of a golden hotel. A man in a double-breasted uniform opened her door and offered a white gloved hand. Refusing to lose to the sparse mustache and unkempt hair, she brushed his hand aside and hurried around the front of the car to extend the service to Yongsun with far more grace. 

“You are good,” Yongsun smiled, taking the offered elbow. She handed the uniformed man her keys and allowed Byulyi to lead her through the lobby and into the dimly-lit restaurant.

“You deserve the very best,” Byulyi said, flashing her signature grin. 

“Mm, if those are the kind of lines I’ll be listening to all night,” Yongsun said with a chuckle, “maybe I should’ve traded you in after all.”

“It would be worth it if it can make you smile. Your smile really is beautiful.” 

“Wow. How many of these cheesy lines do you have in your hard drive?” Yongsun asked, playfully tapping Byulyi’s skull with a knuckle. “Try not to use too many when we meet my sister. It’s cute, but it’ll be too suspicious.” 

And for the first time in her career, Byulyi’s confident mask slipped and she blushed. Fortunately, Yongsun had turned her attention to the maître d’, chatting as to the silver-haired man as if they were old friends. Byulyi watched her client in profile as she talked, her heart hammering as she wondered how many layers this woman planned to tear down. Yongsun glanced up into her eyes, her red lips still forming words she couldn’t hear. Byulyi couldn’t breathe. 

She scrambled to rebuild her walls, but her eyes alone were two wrecking balls swinging haphazardly against her defences.

This was going to be a long night. 

It wasn’t every day that Byulyi was tasked to meet her clients’ family members, but in the quiet din of the restaurant with Kim Yongsun on her arm, it was easy to forget it was a job in the first place. Her body certainly seemed to have forgotten as her hands clammed up and the uncomfortable chill of cold sweat stuck her meticulously arranged bangs in place.

Her legs moved mechanically behind the man leading them to a secluded table, where a beautiful, petite woman with an elegant chestnut bun and a clean-shaven man with broad shoulders beamed at their approach. The woman stood, squealing as Yongsun stepped forward to meet her halfway in an enthusiastic hug. Byulyi hung back, awkwardly exchanging understanding looks with the broad-shouldered man. 

“Yonggi-ah, you’re looking so good. I love your dress!” The woman gushed. “I missed you so much! How have you been? Have you lost weight? Are you hungry? How’s the firm? You’re not overworking yourself are you? Oh! And who is this?” 

“Unnie,” Yongsun laughed. “Let’s sit down first. We have all evening to catch up, don’t we?”

Habit kicked in just in time for Byulyi to pull out a chair for Yongsun. The other side of the table watched her in awed silence, and she smiled her signature smile, her confidence receiving a much needed boost when Yongsun’s sister blushed. 

When she took her seat, Yongsun snuck a brief pat on her knee. “Good job,” she mouthed. Byulyi smiled nervously, trying her best not to completely melt under the woman’s touch. Over and over, she recited her advice to Seulgi: treat her like a queen, even if she is not _ your _ queen.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” she suddenly heard Yongsun say. 

The man smiled. “I can say the same. Yonghee has told me nothing but good things about you.” He reached over, and lovingly rubbed Yonghee’s back. “This one is very proud of you.”

“Everyone knows about our attorney and her star-studded career,” Yonghee said, waving a hand, “What  _ I _ want to know more about is this friend of yours. I was under the impression that you were finally bringing your secret lover when you said you’d be bringing a friend. I must say that I’m surprised.” Yonghee paused. “But now that I think about it, this certainly explains why you keep refusing to meet appa’s endless supply of socialite boys. No offence, Daehyun. You are a stunning example,” she added, patting him on the arm. 

He laughed. “As lucky as I am, I can definitely understand why Yongsun would not pick us.” 

Just then, the two waiters, a man and a woman both neatly dressed in a vest and bowtie, arrived with porcelain plates of food and a bottle of wine. “I hope you don’t mind that we ordered for you,” Daehyun said, as one of the waiters poured him a glass of wine. Addressing Byulyi with a smile, he explained, “We just landed a few hours ago, and Yonghee gets grumpy when she hasn’t eaten. You’re free to order something else, if you like. Don’t be shy.” 

Byulyi looked down at the salmon on her plate, lovingly arranged on top of a bed of roasted vegetables, then cast a quick glance at Yongsun, who was already smearing a stalk of asparagus in the creamy sauce on her matching plate. “This looks wonderful,” Byulyi said, “thank you.”

“So,” Yonghee said, “tell me about you two.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yongsun said, calmly cutting into her salmon filet, “Byulie and I are friends.” Byulyi watched the chunk of fish hit the corner of her lip, and, without thinking, put down her knife and fork. 

Yonghee sipped at her glass of wine. “Mm, I always bring my friends to meet my family on important occasions. Don’t worry, Yonggi.” She cast a long glance in Byulyi’s direction, just as she was in the midst of wiping the speck of sauce off Yongsun’s cheek with her cloth napkin. “I don’t mind it one bit. You’d be hard pressed to find a better gentleman than Miss Byulyi.” 

Yongsun and Byulyi exchanged a small smile. 

“So,” Yonghee continued, “what do you do, Byulyi?” 

Byulyi’s blood froze. Her eyes darted to Yongsun with a plea for help. “I’m, uh…”

“She’s my assistant,” Yongsun said hurriedly. 

“Oh?” Yonghee’s fork and knife hovered above her plate in surprise. “Doesn’t this...cross certain boundaries?” 

If only you knew, Byulyi thought. Out loud, she said, “It’s a temporary contract. I will be starting elsewhere in a few days.”

“You’re a freelancer then?” Daehyun asked. 

“Something like that. I’m a writer, but I have to take short-term work to support myself.” She spoke the partial lie with ease, though her heart beat rapidly in her ears. She hadn’t thought about being a writer since she was in university, but she recalled the effect that the struggling writer image seemed to have on women once in awhile. Beside her, Yongsun’s awed expression told her she had made the right choice. 

“An artist?” Yonghee said. 

“What a coincidence! I’m a musician myself, and I admire those who sacrifice everything to fill the world with beauty,” Daehyun said with a comforting smile. “And you certainly have my admiration, Miss Byulyi.” 

“Attractive, intelligent, and sensitive,” Yonghee said, nodding appreciatively at Yongsun. “You’ve certainly outdone yourself, Yonggi.” 

The rest of the dinner continued the same way. Even when the topic had veered off, Byulyi could feel three pairs of eyes appraising her every move. As agreed, she attended to Yongsun as best as she could despite the muddled fog in her head, and Yongsun seemed too oblivious to the power she had in her little touches to care. Daehyun and Yonghee were a charming couple, but as the partial truths and deflected lies piled up, Byulyi found herself missing Daebakkie more and more.

It seemed like years later when they finally paid their bill, courtesy of Daehyun, and put their coats on. As they stood in the lobby saying their goodbyes, Byulyi hung back behind Yongsun, relieved and exhausted inside her confident shell, as she watched the sisters exchange their goodbyes. 

Just as the couple began to depart, Yonghee stopped and turned to Yongsun. “Oh, before I forget,” she said, “Umma and appa are flying in next week to go over some preliminary wedding plans. We should have dinner together as a family. It’s been a while.” 

Yongsun threaded her arm around Byulyi’s. “Of course! Just let me know when and I’ll clear my evening. Can I bring a date?” 

Yonghee’s brows shot up, but the moment of surprise on her expression quickly dissolved into one of fondness. “I couldn’t stop you, even if I wanted to,” she said. 

“That is very true,” Yongsun chuckled. 

“Just know that unnie will always be behind you a hundred percent,” Yonghee said, engulfing Yongsun into a big hug. “Your oppa too, or I will beat him up.” 

As the happy family laughed, Byulyi’s knees nearly went weak at the thought of spending another evening with this woman under the pretense of such an intimate relationship. Worse, though she did not want to admit it, that a real date would be spending an evening with this woman in such an intimate relationship. 

Either way, she wasn’t sure she would survive. 

 

—

 

Byulyi stormed into work the next day with a letter in hand. “Oh, unnie! Why did Seulgi have the car this morn—” She slammed the letter down in front of Wheein, who yelped in surprise, nearly dropping her clipboard. 

“I’m taking three weeks off,” she declared. “I don’t care if it’s paid or not.” 

“What? No. Wait!” Wheein ran around the counter, and ran after Byulyi. She clapped a hand on her wrist, and tugged her to a stop. “Unnie! Stop! Jeez, why are you being so dramatic!” she cried. 

“I don’t know what you two were pulling with Yongsun last night, but I’m not going back out there,” she said with finality. 

“Okay, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you can’t take three weeks off.” 

“Why? I’ve never asked for a day off. I think I deserve at least a couple of weeks to pull myself together, Wheein.” She knew she was louder than she intended from the way Wheein had flinched, and she knew the poor girl was just the messenger, but there was nowhere else to place all the suppressed emotions of last night. 

“Because,” Wheein took a breath, “Seulgi suddenly resigned this morning, and until we can convince her to come back, or hire a replacement, we can’t afford to lose another Valet. All her clients have to be reassigned, and there just aren’t enough people with Yuju on sick leave and Joy traipsing around America for whatever reason.” She tugged at her sleeve once more, and flashed her saddest puppy eyes, “Please, unnie. Give us some time. You can take two weeks off if you want to after we sort all of this out.”

Byulyi heaved a sigh. “Fine. Stop looking at me like that.” Wheein cheered and wrapped her arms around her in a crushing hug. “But,” Byulyi croaked, “we have to talk about Yongsun.” 

— 

Hyejin looked up from her computer when her door slammed open. At the sight of Byulyi in her doorway, and Wheein peeking in from behind her, she flipped her glasses off her nose and threw them onto her desk. She rubbed her eyes with a thumb and forefinger. “Well, well,” she drawled, “if I wasn’t going to kick your ass for yelling at my baby in the lobby, I’m sure as hell going to kick your ass now for putting a hole in my wall.”

“Hyejin-ah,” Wheein said from beyond the door. Her hard tone and crossed arms immediately put her fiancée at attention. “I think you owe Byulie-unnie an explanation.” 

Hyejin scoffed. “I don’t know what you  mean.”

Wheein’s eyes were sharp. “Ahn Hyejin.” 

It took all of a single look for Hyejin to relent. She pushed out of her chair, rounded her desk, and threw up her hands. “Alright, alright,” she said. “At least sit down. Both of you.” 

Wheein closed the door, and strode across the room to throw herself into Hyejin’s high-backed leather chair while Byulyi settled herself on the couch. Hyejin turned back to give Wheein a pout, but Wheein simply pointed at Byulyi in response. 

“Ugh, okay, so I messed with your schedule,” Hyejin said finally. 

“ _ Without _ my knowledge,” Wheein added. 

“She requested a man,” Byulyi said, furrowing her brows. “So why? Also she called you Hyejinie. What the hell?” 

“She  _ what _ ?” Wheein cried, bolting forward in her chair. 

“Okay, relax,” Hyejin said, casting a nervous glance at her glaring fiancée. “Everybody  _ calm the  fuck down _ and let me explain.” 

“Yes,  _ please _ explain why  _ another _ woman is calling you Hyejinie behind my back,” Wheein said, gripping the armrest with white knuckles. “And it better be a good explanation, Ahn Hyejin. A very good explanation.” 

“Okay, first of all, I love this jealous side of you. It’s  _ so _ hot.” Byulyi rolled her eyes. Wheein’s glare was unwavering. “Second of all, Yongsun is like a sister to me. You know that. She heard you say it on the phone once, while we were at a business luncheon and she just picked it up to tease me. And last of all,” Hyejin paused to swing over her desk in spite of her short skirt, and kneeled down, almost entirely out of Byulyi’s view as she covered her hands over both of Wheein’s, “Most importantly of all...I love you, Jung Wheein, so please don’t kill me.”

Wheein sighed and cursed the way the powerful woman used her vulnerable side to tug at her heart. “Fine.”  Hyejin cheered and planted a kiss on her knee before standing up to wrap her arms around Wheein’s shoulders. “But I’m watching you,” Wheein warned. 

“You can watch me whenever you want,” Hyejin growled into her ear. Wheein giggled, and playfully slapped her across her shoulder.

“Ugh, I’m still here, you know,” Byulyi said, running her hand down her face. “If you’re done with this cheesy drama, can someone please explain why Hyejin decided to set me up?” 

“You don’t have to make it sound that bad,” Hyejin said. She draped her arm over the back of her chair, her free hand absentmindedly playing with Wheein’s hair. “Yongsun’s owns half of our partner resort, but the co-owner, her sister, isn’t really interested in it. We met while we were discussing the partnership, as you might imagine, and we remained friends. She’s kind of in the closet with her parents, but she’s not exactly low profile.”

Byulyi crossed her arms. “So I’ve noticed.” 

Waving her off, Hyejin continued: “When she reached out to me a few weeks ago about her sister’s wedding, she requested a guy to help her with her charade.”

“Right.” 

“Honestly, I thought you two were just going to meet, then you’d get sent back, and I’d send Chandong out or something.” 

“Okay, but  _ why _ do you want us to meet so badly?” Byulyi cried in exasperation. 

Hyejin blinked. “Because I thought you’d look cute together.” 

Silence. 

“I’m serious, Hyejin.”

“Me too,” Hyejin replied, matching her blank stare. “There really isn’t anything else to it.” 

“And you knew...you knew that she needed a date to meet her sister?” 

“Well, yeah. I knew you’d go above and beyond, unnie,” Hyejin said with a grin. “I’m glad you didn’t disappoint. Yongsun texted me this morning to thank me. Seems like she had a really good time. Her sister liked you too. Isn’t that great? This is why you’re our star Valet.” 

But Hyejin’s words washed right over Byulyi as the emotion began to build. The more she thought, the more ridiculous it all seemed, and the angrier she felt. “You..” she said slowly, “you...you breached our client’s trust  _ and _ you threw me to the dogs because we  _ look cute together _ ?” 

“That’s not a very nice way to put it,” Hyejin said, crossing her arms. “And I don’t understand why you’re so worked up over this. It went well, didn’t it?”

Hyejin went on until Wheein pulled on her arm and shook her head. Byulyi, glaring hard at the ground, had been silent for several minutes now. 

“Unnie,” Wheein tried, “I think what Hyejin is trying to say is that we’ve just been worried about you. We know you haven’t been meeting anyone outside of work anymore, and it’s...getting a little tangled up. Your private and personal life. Don’t take this the wrong way, but sometimes...you look a little lonely.” 

“Wheein’s right,” Hyejin relented with a sigh, “this job is hurting your personal life. I know we joked about you hiring a plus one for our wedding, but you really shouldn’t have to do that. You deserve someone who treats you like you treat your clients. For free. And, uh, I’m sorry about Yongsun. She’s a bit strange, but she’s really sweet once you get to know her.” 

“I think…” Byulyi said, holding her forehead, “she wants me to meet her parents.”

Her best friends exchanged a look. “She did mention that she might need to reserve multiple sessions,” Hyejin said.

“I-I can’t. I don’t want to lie again. My job description is to cater to the emotional needs of women,  _ not _ pretend I’m in a  _ forbidden romantic relationship _ with them and  _ meet their parents _ .”

“You’ve helped clients come out in the past,” Hyejin said matter-of-factly. “You’ll be fine.” 

“Yes, but it was clear that I was there as emotional support. We’ve always,  _ always _ steered clear of romance.  _ You’re _ the one who said that we can’t let clients close, because breaking the illusion would be so devastating and now I don’t even know what the illusion is anymore. These feelings are getting so complicated, and I don’t want to go, but I don’t want anyone else to go either. This is so fucked up, Hyejin, WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?”  Byulyi was standing by the end, her voice carrying loudly across the room as she waved her arms about. Her friends, unsure how to respond to the outburst, could only watch as she stomped out of the office. 

“Wow,” Hyejin breathed, “she’s in deep.” 

Wheein punched her lightly in the thigh. “You better fix this.”

 

—

 

Ever the professional, Byulyi still went to work. She had a single client on her schedule the next day, and was relieved that everything went smoothly. The girl, heartbroken when she showed up, and lit up the room by the time she left. Byulyi had cooked dinner and danced with her in the living room, but even when the girl gazed up at her with admiring eyes, she felt only the clean-cut satisfaction in seeing her client smile. By the time she left, reality shifted neatly back into place, and she thought about her client no more. 

So why was she, after an entire twenty-four hours, still thinking about Yongsun? 

She went into work the next day, then the day after that. Every day, until the moment she held her schedule in her hands, she was pulled apart by the conflict between dread and anticipation as she waited for Yongsun’s name on the piece of paper to thrust her heart out into the cold. She’d ran so many scenarios in her head that she didn’t know what to expect anymore, and, torn between the fear and desire to see her again, she decided it was best to try and forget her entirely. 

When her schedule remained unchanged four days later, she was convinced that Yongsun had changed her mind too. This realization brought a whole new world of warring emotions. Strangely, she began to think of Seulgi more and more, and the way she so effortlessly seemed to make people smile. She wondered where she was now.

Six days after meeting Yongsun, she ran into Seulgi at a cafe. She hardly recognized the girl in her T-shirt and jeans, but there she was, lounging under a large umbrella on the patio looking like she had all the time in the world. 

Byulyi stopped at her table before she could stop herself. “Seulgi?” 

Seulgi shot up from her chair, knocking it over and scaring the patron behind her. She whipped around, bowing over and over with hurried apologies. Byulyi had to laugh at the familiar scene. 

Once the dust settled, she invited herself to take the empty seat across from the quivering Seulgi. “How are you, Seul?” She asked. 

Seulgi’s eyes darted to the line forming out of the cafe. “Um, good?” 

“That’s good.” Byulyi nodded. She sipped at her iced coffee and allowed the silence to foster Seulgi’s discomfort. 

“How...how are things...with you?” 

“Not bad,” Byulyi replied. “We've been having a hard time since you left but, this is life isn't it?” Seulgi blushed and mumbled an apology. “It's fine,” Byulyi continued. “Honestly, I think I’m beginning to understand why you left.”

“Y-you do? You’re not here to convince me to go back?” 

“Nope, but I want to hear it from you. It was so sudden and unexpected. And you've always loved your job, haven't you? You're a natural cheerleader for women everywhere. So why would you leave? Was it the money?” 

Seulgi looked down at the empty space in front of her and shook her head. “I did love the job,” she confessed, “believe me, it was sudden for me too. You wake up every morning expecting the same things. You never wake up and expect life to twist it all up and mess with you. I don’t know...I wasn't sure I wanted to leave, but at the same time...I couldn't imagine doing it another day.”

“What do you mean?” Byulyi asked. 

“I guess we have you to thank for that.”

Byulyi whipped her head up at the new voice from behind Seulgi. “Miss Bae,” she gasped. 

Irene smiled. “Hello again, Byul.” She placed two drinks down on the table, then leaned over to give Seulgi’s bright red cheeks a quick kiss before pulling over a third chair to join them. 

Seulgi’s eyes flicked up to meet Byulyi’s surprised expression, then ducked her head, her face glowing redder by the moment. 

“So Irene was the reason you quit,” Byulyi breathed, leaning back in her chair with a whistle. 

“I guess you can say that…” Seulgi said, biting her lip. Then she looked up and gave Irene a wide smile, “but Joohyun is really, really important to me, and I don’t regret it one bit!” 

“That's a big move, Seulgi.” Byulyi shook her head. “How long have you known each other?” 

Irene watched the pure affection radiating across Seulgi’s face as she poked her straw around her drink. And her answer came, calm and cool. “You introduced us, remember?” 

“Right…” Byulyi mumbled. She sipped her drink as she glanced between Irene and Seulgi. While one was as inscrutable as ever, the other seemed ready to combust despite all the frozen coffee she was inhaling. Irene rubbed Seugi’s shoulder, and whispered for her to slow down before she gets a brain freeze. 

Then it dawned on her. “Wait a minute, this can't be right,” Byulyi said, straightening forward. “That means you met…” 

“Almost a week ago, yes,” Irene said. 

“But Seulgi…” The girl coughed fiercely at the sound of her name and the implication in Byulyi’s voice. Irene sighed, and soothed her back. “...quit the next day,” Byulyi finished. 

“Yes,” Irene said. She lifted a napkin up to Seulgi’s lips. “I was actually against her decision, but Seulgi can be a bit of a dumb bear.” She paused her loving gesture to give Seulgi a sweet smile. “But she's earnest, if nothing else. And I would be lying if I said it didn't make me happy.” 

“I guess you didn't return the Aston Martin right away, then?” Byulyi said with a smirk. 

“I…” Seulgi reached up and held Irene’s hand as she lowered it from her face. They were so lost in each other’s eyes that, once again, Byulyi found herself a million miles away, from the outside looking in on the lovers’ display. “No,” Seulgi replied in a small voice. “I didn't. I...didn't want to leave her.” 

“To quit your job for a stranger you just met...that's just...incredible, Seul. How did you...how did you know?” 

Seulgi cocked her head. “How do I know what?” 

Byulyi waved her hand about vaguely. “How did you know that...I don't know, it'd work out?”

“Like…between us?” Seulgi asked, wagging a finger between herself and Irene. 

“Everything.” 

Seulgi shrugged. “You can't know these things. It sounds crazy, but when I saw her,” she paused to give Irene’s hand a squeeze and a shy smile to go with it, “everything else just felt right. Besides, now I have more time to focus on the stuff I really love! Besides Joohyun, of course. So I guess...it’s not so crazy, after all?”

 

—  

 

Byulyi shuffled into her apartment that night with Seulgi and Irene rolling around her head. Seulgi’s straightforward personality haunted her as she threw herself on the couch. Perhaps that was the secret to her fearlessness. 

She heard the quick padding of Daebakkie’s feet as he crossed the room and leapt onto her lap. “Daebakkie,” she mumbled into his fur, “Would you still love me if I wasn't a Valet? I'd have no money to feed you, but we can go for walks all the time. But even you would get tired of me eventually, wouldn’t you?” 

She wondered whether Seulgi had ever lied in her life, whether she ever had to wear a mask to be the perfect Valet her client wanted to see. And Irene. Would she have asked her to quit eventually? Could she be with her if Seulgi didn’t quit? What an odd pair, Byulyi thought with a sigh, but somehow perfect. If she were to be as genuine as Seulgi, would she be able to get the girl too? Yongsun’s face flashed behind her eyes for a moment, but she quickly shook her head. There was nothing beneath the uniform, her suit of armour, and nothing certainly wouldn't be enough for a woman like Yongsun. 

Daebakkie wagged his tail and licked her face, oblivious to the existential crises of his master. 

A full week after her appointment with Yongsun, she shuffled into work as usual, and looked over her schedule, finally rid of all of her expectations. She knew her friends were more than aware that she had been acting differently for the last week. But it was strange because she couldn’t remember how she used to be, not even her stride felt familiar, and she cursed her memory of Yongsun’s playful teasing for undermining everything she thought she knew about herself.

“Unnie, the hot water finished boiling five minutes ago,” Wheein called from the reception desk. Byulyi looked up from the teabag in her empty mug, and peeked around the alcove behind the waterfall. She heard a chair squeak backwards, and a pair of heels clacking toward her from far away. Moments later, Wheein sidled up behind her and nudged her out of the way. 

“Wheeinie,” she greeted. 

Wheein lifted the electric kettle from its stand and began to fill Byulyi’s mug as she spoke: “Hyejin and I are thinking about going out for dinner tonight. Wanna come?” 

Byulyi picked up her mug. “Mm, rather not crash your date.”

“If I recall correctly,” Wheein said, tapping a finger on her chin, “that’s how we met, isn’t it?” 

Byulyi scoffed. “In my defence, Hyejin told me you were friends. How was I supposed to know she had such a huge crush on you?”

“I still remember the look on her face when you sat between us during the movie. I mean, I knew about her crush already—at least I had hoped that’s what it was—but that look of pure murder on her face proved it,” Wheein laughed. Her hands worked swiftly around the alcove as she fixed herself a cup of coffee. Byulyi, leaning on the counter with her tea, watched her practiced movements and smiled a little into the rim of her mug at the sound of Wheein’s gentle laughter. 

“I guess I should thank you for that,” Wheein continued. “I was so mad at you back then, but when I think back, I probably would’ve never confessed to that stubborn idiot if it wasn’t for you.” 

“I’m glad somebody benefited from that extremely embarrassing day,” Byulyi said with a lopsided smile. 

Wheein clapped a hand on her shoulder, her eyes shifting uncomfortably toward her. “I guess the lesson is,” she said quietly, “people can’t read your mind.”

Byulyi reached up and covered Wheein’s hand on her shoulder with her own. “I know. I’m fine. Really.” 

“Will you come out for dinner tonight?” 

“I’ll let you know.” 

Wheein sighed. “Well, we’re going to reserve a table for three anyway, so you better show up! Here.” Byulyi opened her palm and received Wheein’s closed fist inside it. At her confusion, the fist opened and withdrew to reveal a familiar rectangular key fob. She grinned at the sight of the familiar white wings printed on the back. “I know this one’s your favourite,” Wheein chirped, “so now you have no excuse not to show up for dinner.” 

“The Aston Martin!” Byulyi sighed happily. She clutched the key and wrapped her free arm around Wheein’s shoulder. “You’re the best, Wheeinie.” 

“Chandong actually requested it today, but I told him it was taken, so you better keep this a secret, unnie.” 

“I’ll try not to brag too much next time I see him,” Byulyi chuckled.

 

—

 

After her conversation with Wheein, a surge of determination compelled her to put on her white three-piece suit. Though she had painstakingly ironed it out after the first day she wore it, she had avoided it all week. She picked out the blacks and greys and blues every time in an effort to win her place inside the white, but today she willed herself to get over the anxiety. This couldn’t go on, she concluded, her friends had enough to worry about as it was, and a week was far too long to dwell in her fears.

Windows down, music blasting, the sun on her shades—there was no better way to relinquish those anxieties than driving luxury speeds in  a luxury car through the quiet countryside. Her two previous clients had left her confidence bursting, and she hoped the last one will help her end the day on a good note. The fact that the client had scheduled their meeting at the resort was a very good sign. Even if the meeting is less than stellar, at least she would have the view and the drinks and the quiet meditative feel of the country. 

She swerved into the parking lot, and stepped out of the car. With ten minutes to spare, she gave herself a moment to admire the the coupe and give it a loving pat on the hood. Even if she would never be able to afford a car like this in her own life, she thoroughly enjoyed seeing her own reflection in the car, and the illusion it represented. She gave the car her signature grin. 

“You’re not flirting with your car, are you?” 

Byulyi gasped at the familiar voice behind her, and spun on her heel to face a  _ very _ familiar Tesla parked behind her. 

“Miss Kim,” she breathed. Her heartbeat picked up alongside the typhoon swirling about her mind. Everything she’d built up today seemed to crumble at her feet as the woman swayed her way toward her. The close-fitting white dress, with her black collar and black purse, matched her own white suit and black tie, and the realization left her reeling. But the frown marring her pretty features reminded Byulyi of their nearly forgotten agreement. “Y-Yongsun-unnie,” she corrected with a bow.

“You remembered, after all,” Yongsun smiled. “Byul-ah, why do you look so uncomfortable? You really were flirting with your car then? Should I be jealous?” 

Byulyi nearly choked on her own spit. “N-no, of course not,” she said, waving frantically. 

“No, you weren’t flirting, or no, I don’t need to be jealous?” Yongsun teased. 

Byulyi pulled at her cuff nervously. “Both? I-I wasn’t flirting. Just admiring.” 

“It’s a very nice car,” Yongsun agreed. “Anyway, I’m so glad you made it. I wasn’t sure you were going to show up after last time. You seemed ready to pass out by the end of the night. My sister can be a bit intense, I suppose.”

“Wait, what?” Byulyi stood, gaping at the other woman.

Yongsun raised a brow. “What do you mean, what?”

“I'm...you…” She waved a finger between them. 

“Did Hyejin mix up your schedule again?” Yongsun said, “I hope she knows that it’s too late for me to trade you in for anyone else. My sister met you already, and it would be rather odd for me to show up with someone new after you impressed everyone last week with everything.” 

“Ah, but, um…” Byulyi dug into her pocket for her cell phone, and her client’s profile blinked to life. “It says that I have an appointment with a Miss Solar Kim. She’s a flight attendant?” 

“Woah,” Yongsun said, grabbing at Byulyi’s phone in disbelief. “I haven’t heard that name in years. It was my nickname in highschool, but...I wonder how  Hyejin found out? Maybe I told her and forgot. How strange! I do remember mentioning that I wanted to be a flight attendant though. Way before law school and everything. That’s my picture right there! From my yearbook! Wow. I’ll have to ask her about all this next time. It’s just so...wow.” 

Byulyi swallowed under the intense gaze of the other woman, her mind reeling. “Maybe I’ll just call Hyejin to confirm.” 

“Yes, that's a good idea.” 

She pressed the numbers with unsteady fingers, all the while trying to duck away from the amused look in Yongsun’s eyes. The phone rang once—Yongsun stepped a little closer—twice—her arm brushed alongside hers as she leaned in closer—three times—her breath caught when she felt her chest pressing into her arm. 

“She’s not picking up?” Her voice was way too close. Byulyi began to step back, but Yongsun’s grip only tightened. “Well...let’s not keep my parents waiting.” 

Moments later, somewhere between the sound of her internal screaming and Yongsun’s voice laughing about a joke she’d clearly missed, her phone flashed with a single line. 

_ Boss Hyegi: You’ll thank me later.  _

If Yongsun wasn’t looking at her so expectantly, she would’ve thrown her phone against the wall. Instead, she shoved it deep into her pocket, and returned her gaze with a tight smile. 

“Everything alright?” 

“Everything’s perfect,” she said, as coolly as she could. She took a breath and, in attempt to channel her professional side, straightened her posture and turned to Yongsun with her most charming smile. “You’re perfect.”

And Yongsun laughed—not a politely stifled giggle of an embarrassed yet charmed client, but a barking laughter that turned the heads of everyone within a ten-metre radius. Byulyi looked around, flushing pink as Yongsun continued to laugh. 

“You are,” she finally said, wiping a tear from her eye, “too good at your job, Miss Byulyi.”

“I-I’m just..” Byulyi cleared her throat to unknot out the nerves in her voice, “being honest.” 

As much as these lines have always been another layer on her armour, they had never been untrue when she spoke them to her clients. Each was perfect, beautiful, intelligent, and wonderful in her own way, and she knew that not all of them would choose to believe it. But when it came to Yongsun, things were different—as it always were when it came to the strange pink-haired woman. These compliments seemed to expose parts of her that she’d never had to show before. 

“Try not to give my parents diabetes when you meet them. Oh! There they are!” She pointed to a table, and it was just then that Byulyi realized they were already inside the restaurant overlooking the golf course. Every patron inside the glass cube had their heads turned toward the setting sun while Byulyi fixed her eyes on the older couple across the room. The man in the prim navy suit had his arm around his wife’s shoulder as he pointed toward the sun, whispering something that had her chuckling. Even from afar, Byulyi could see the resemblance in the family. 

“Why did you stop?” A soft voice whispered into her ear. 

“W-what?” 

Suddenly, she felt herself being dragged toward the nook where the bathrooms hid. Even more suddenly, she felt Yongsun standing way too close, her hand underneath her collar as she straightened it out. “You’re not nervous, are you?” she said, her warm breath puffing against her cheek. 

“No, no, of course not. Why would I be?” 

A silk handkerchief pressed against her forehead. “You’re sweating up a storm,” Yongsun teased. “But you have a pretty good poker face, I'll admit. Relax,” she smoothed out the fabric along Byulyi’s shoulders, her eyes searing into Byulyi’s with something undefinable, “this is just for tonight.” 

“R-right.”

Her hand fell limp inside Yongsun’s as she allowed herself to be led into the restaurant, something inside her tightening as she repeated Yongsun’s words in her head. This is just for tonight. Be professional, Byulyi reminded herself, treat her like a queen but remember that she is not your queen.

 

—

 

“Yonggi, you made it!” Yonghee greeted from the head of the table. Daehyun craned back to smile at the oncoming pair, and Byulyi couldn’t help but smile back at his comforting presence. As the only two outsiders of the Kim clan, she felt a deep sense of camaraderie in his familiar face. 

“Unnie,” Yongsun greeted happily, “oppa, appa, umma.” The older couple, watching Byulyi apprehensively, nodded in eerie synchronization. “This is Byulyi.” 

“Her personal assistant,” Yonghee added, sending Byulyi a sly wink. The Valet blushed, and bowed, her greeting muted by her embarrassment. To make up for her awkwardness, she immediately pulled out Yongsun’s chair for her at the other end of the table, then, clumsily returning Yongsun’s smile, took her seat beside Daehyun. She hoped to earn points with her parents with the gesture, but their inscrutable gaze only added  to the pressure. 

“Relax,” Daehyun leaned over with a whisper, “let Yongsun do the talking.” 

She nodded, and mustered up her most brilliant smile. 

“I must say that it is a rather odd choice to bring your assistant to a family dinner, Yongsun,” her father began, “but I suppose you’ve never been one to take the road most travelled.” 

Yongsun chuckled. “Actually,” she said, squeezing Byulyi’s arm, “this one is my date.”  

The entire table’s eyes were on her in a moment, including Byulyi’s. Beside her, Daehyun choked on his wine. Yonghee reached over to soothe his back. And her parents’ eyes darted between each of them. 

If only to avoid the disapproving eyes of the older couple, Byulyi clapped her hand over Yongsun’s knee under the table, her expression caught between concern and surprise at the sudden confession. Yongsun held Byulyi’s hand. As headstrong and confident as she appeared, her clammy fingers fidgeted in Byulyi’s hand. 

“Your date?” Her mother said slowly. “Is she the reason why you refused to see Chairman Park’s son?” 

Yongsun sighed. “No, umma, I didn’t see him because I’m not interested.” 

Yonghee and Daehyun shifted closer to each other. Byulyi wanted more than anything to get into that huddle or get into the car and drive home to Daebakkie, but the spotlight was shining, and she couldn’t leave Yongsun alone in this increasingly tense conversation. 

Her father opened his mouth with a pointed glare at Byulyi, and it took everything for her not to flinch. Fortunately, Yongsun cut in just in time. “It doesn't have to do with Byul, appa, so stop glaring.” 

“What about Mrs. Cho’s son?” he said. “You told me you liked him.” 

“Not in that way,” Yongsun said. Byulyi squeezed her shaking hand beneath the tablecloth, feeling as helpless as she was scared for her. “I’m never going to marry  _ anyone _ ’s sons, appa. Do you understand?”

Her parents looked at each other for a moment. Everyone held their breath, waiting, expecting tears, anger, but all that manifested was further confusion. Yonghee started. Yongsun shot her a look, and Daehyun pulled her back. Then, it was an unexpected surprise when her mother leaned forward and said, “What about Chairman Bae’s daughter?” 

“What? Irene?” 

Byulyi’s eyes widened at the name, but said nothing. Yongsun gripped her fingers tightly. 

“What about her?” Yongsun said carefully. 

“I hear she is also…” her mother paused, searching for words she didn’t have, “like you.” 

Yongsun narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps.”

“She’s quite lovely, isn’t she, dear?”

“Yes,” her father said, “I’ve met her a few times. Beautiful and intelligent young woman with great sense. You are close friends too, are you not?” 

Her mother looked at her father warily, and said, “Then perhaps…”

Yongsun shot forward in her seat, but her father raised a hand, and she bit back whatever she was going to say. “What your mother means, Yongsun, is that a woman of your...standing...deserves someone who can match you in everything you do, especially one who understands the,” he diverted his gaze to Byulyi, wary yet curious, “demands that society puts on us,” her father explained. “I mean no offense, Miss Byulyi. I’m sure you are quite lovely, but our family—”

“Wait,” Yongsun furrowed her brows. “You mean you don’t care who I date as long as they run in your circles?” 

Her mother smiled. “Well, I would prefer grandchildren.”

Her father cleared his throat. “I trust that you will make the right decision. In the meantime, Irene is a lovely girl. I can arrange a meeting with her father if you like.” 

Byulyi gripped her fist tightly as she thought of Seulgi and Irene, and the realization that Seulgi, who had thrown away everything to be with her, would be tossed away in a heartbeat by people like Yongsun’s parents. As much as she wanted to be liked by the older couple, the anger  bubble inside. 

“I see.” Yongsun leaned back, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger as she tried to digest what was going on. “So you’re both clueless.” 

“Yongsun!” Her mother chided. 

“With all due respect, Sir,” the words leapt out of Byulyi’s mouth before she could catch them. All eyes were on her, and all she knew was that she wanted to defend Yongsun. “Ma’am.” She cleared her throat. Yongsun sat up, while Yonghee and her fiancé leaned closer. “Yongsun is one of the most beautiful, intelligent, and brave women I know. If she can battle the kind of tyranny she sees every day in the courtroom, I think she is more than capable of taking care of herself. I...I’m well aware that I am just a humble member of the working society—and to be honest, all I have to my name is an apartment and a fat corgi—but I have seen the inner world of the society you refer to, and I know that money and image can lead to...lonely roads. And Yongsun deserves more than that.” 

Silence. 

Five pairs of eyes gaped at her as she hid her face behind her hand. “I’ve said too much,” she mumbled, casting an apologetic look in Yongsun’s direction. 

Yongsun smiled. “You said just enough.”

Her father started, his knuckles white as his fist laid on the table. “This is—”

“Appa,” Yongsun interjected. “You know as well as I do that we are not going to come to an agreement on this. Not tonight.” She stood, her presence powerfully ascending above her stunned family, and tugged Byulyi upright alongside her by the wrist. “We will be going now. I’ll make it up to you next time, unnie.” She bowed to four shell-shocked faces, and gently tugged at Byulyi. At the signal, she bent her arm and offered the crook of her elbow with a grin.

Yongsun took it automatically, and together they marched through the grand oak doors and into the starlit sky.

 

—

 

“That was dramatic, wasn’t it?” Yongsun yelled over the whistling wind as they drove along the narrow country road. 

“I’m sorry! I hope I didn’t overstep,” Byulyi yelled back.

Yongsun rolled the windows up, and gestured for Byulyi to do the same. It was a still and starry night, and the exhilaration of her escape had her blood rushing, but as she turned now to watch Byulyi drive in profile, she let the silence overtake them. 

“You were really cool,” she said, laughing off the excess energy. “I really see now why you’re the best. It was so moving that even I almost believed you were secretly in love with me.” Byulyi froze. “I’m sure umma and appa will have a lot to talk about tonight, so I hope you don’t mind that we left early. Hey, why don’t you turn over this way? There’s a great little cliff over there.” 

Byulyi shifted her grip on the steering wheel. “Right now?” 

“I have a couple hours left on the clock with you, don’t I?” Yongsun replied with a grin. 

“Of course.” 

They veered off the asphalt and onto a dirt road where the dust clouded their windows, and parked between two trees overlooking the forest below. The half-moon hung above them as they leaned back against the coupe. 

“So how do you know Irene?” Yongsun asked, hugging herself against the chill as she looked up at the night sky.

Her skin prickled at the name. “I’m not sure what you mean.” Byulyi shoved her hands in her pocket.

“Ah, good to know you uphold your confidentiality clause. But don’t think I didn’t notice the look in your eyes when umma mentioned her.” Yongsun’s eyes shifted to meet hers, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Irene is my best friend,” she explained, unprompted, “and I was there, you know, when she came out to her parents. Umma and appa...I guess they forgot—they had no reason to think about it until now, after all—but her parents...they cut her off after that. You should’ve seen the look on their faces. I...I wanted to scream and yell, but Irene just stood there like a statue and let them say all these awful things about her. Her girlfriend at the time was there too. I guess in the end, there was too much pressure on the poor girl, and she didn’t want to be cut off like Irene was. Took off to Germany and never came back.” 

“This was recent then?” Byulyi asked. 

“Last year. But it was a long time coming.” She ran a hand over the hood of the car in the space between  them. “Thank you for taking care of her, Byul,” she whispered. “I’m a little surprised that she would hide this from me, but I’m glad she had you when she needed it most.” 

Byulyi smiled. “She’s an extraordinary woman.” 

“That she is.” 

“Have you met Seulgi?” Byulyi asked with a sly smile. 

Yongsun’s eyes widened. “Seulgi? With the chestnut hair, about this tall—”

“Stupid smile all the time.” 

Yongsun sprung up. “Yes! Oh my god,  are they—-Irene invited me over for lunch a few days ago and Seulgi was there. She cooked for us and everything. Amazing gentleman, very sweet—kind of like you...oh my god, is she—are they—-”

Byulyi couldn’t help but laugh as the expressions flickered across Yongsun’s face. She gasped at every piece of her own logic, and it was adorable. “Guess you’ll have to find out,” she said, reaching forward to brush a finger under Yongsun’s chin. 

Yongsun’s cheeks flared up under the moonlight. “What was that?” she cried, lightly smacking her arm. “That was so greasy!” 

Byulyi’s laughed grew as she warded off Yongsun’s attacks. “You signed up for this!” she cried, batting off an incoming blow. 

“Hyejin said I’d be treated like a queen, not doused in grease by a suited dork,” Yongsun returned in between her giggles. At the familiar mantra, Byulyi’s laugh began to fade. At the affectionate teasing, her heart skipped a beat. She’d lowered her guard far too much. Clearing her throat now, she rubbed her neck to avoid Yongsun’s curious gaze in the awkward silence. 

She cleared her throat again to fill the air with any sound at all.

“Nice night.” she said.

Yongsun shuffled closer and nudged her shoulder with her own, then, unexpectedly, laid her head on Byulyi’s shoulder. Byulyi stiffened. It wasn’t the first time a woman laid her head on her shoulder, but there were many things that Yongsun did—that Yongsun made her feel—that were so simple, but so different. She wanted so badly to reciprocate the gesture, rest her head on Yongsun’s or lean into her touch in any way, but something pulled her back. 

_ Treat her like a queen, but not your queen _ . 

The wind swept through the trees. Byulyi took off her jacket, unwillingly shrugging off Yongsun in the process, and swung the jacket over Yongsun’s shoulders. 

“Thank you,” Yongsun mumbled. Much to her relief, Byulyi soon felt the warmth on her shoulder once more, her heart pounding with fear when she realized how much she missed it in the short moment they’d been apart. 

_ This is just for tonight _ .

She rested her head on Yongsun’s. 

“Do you do this often with your clients?” 

Byulyi thought for a moment. “No.” 

“You don’t have to lie for me,” Yongsun chuckled. 

“Strangely,” Yongsun closed her eyes as she listened to the vibrations of Byulyi’s voice as she spoke, “I’m not a very good liar. Especially to you.”

“You’re very good at making women feel special, aren’t you?” Yongsun laughed, but there was something else tinged in the sound that Byulyi didn’t dare label. 

Byulyi smiled into her hair. “Every woman deserves to feel special.”

Then the warmth beside her was gone, and Byulyi was stunned to find how chilly the night really was. “Well then, enlighten me!” Yongsun had leapt off the hood of the car, grinning broadly. “What kind of things do you usually do?” 

Yongsun’s dress beneath the jacket glowed white against the silhouettes of her skin, and it was so beautiful that Byulyi had forgotten the question almost immediately. 

“Byul?” 

“Y-yes?” 

Yongsun stepped closer. “Tell me, what do you usually do to make women feel special?” 

“Whatever they need,” Byulyi said. She stared down at her hands. “Provided it’s not sexual or romantic. Usually, it’s cooking, talking...I’m...pretty good at washing hair, but that isn’t often requested.”

“I’m not sure I’d like to be naked in the same room as a beautiful, fully clothed stranger myself,” Yongsun laughed.

“I-I think, um,” she caught Yongsun’s expectant eyes, and swallowed the compliment on her tongue when she felt the heat crawl up her collar, “I think...people tend to prefer, um, simple things sometimes like...reading or dancing—”

“Dancing?” Yongsun beamed. 

Byulyi grinned at the familiar prompt, and offered her hand. “Would you like to dance?” she said, scrunching her nose in a wide grin. 

Yongsun took her hand, the too-long suit jacket falling just over her hand, and if the moment wasn’t adorable enough, she tucked her hair behind her ear and look up, her big eyes reflecting the stars. “But we don’t have any music,” she whispered.

Byulyi swallowed. Breathed. Resumed her mask. 

“Just follow me.”

 

—

 

In the days that followed, Wheein gave her the vacation days as promised, but the young entrepreneur still found herself greeting her employee every morning. Byulyi often stood around the reception desk, sighing wistfully at nothing in particular. Sometimes she’d make tea, or more accurately, she’d boil water, then walk away to sigh somewhere else. On the third day, Hyejin piled a stack of paper in front of her, and said, “If you’re going to stand around making Wheeinie uncomfortable all day, you might as well do something productive and help me do some filing.” 

For several days, Byulyi came in, with her painstakingly ironed suit each time, to sit on the floor of Hyejin’s office as she quietly filed away. Hyejin would type away at her computer, cringing whenever Byulyi exhaled. She’d promised Wheein that she’d let her troubled best friend do whatever she wanted until she felt better, but she was at her wit’s end. Worse of all, once the work ran out, Byulyi went right back to moping in various corners of the office. 

Finally, after a full week of Byulyi’s insufferable angst, Hyejin had enough. She pushed back her chair and glared down at Byulyi’s long body, which was, on this particular day, splayed out on her carpet as if trying to blend in. 

“Unnie!” Hyejin cried. 

Byulyi’s head fell to the side to watch her with her empty eyes. 

Hyejin threw up her hands. “What the fuck?”

“What,” Byulyi mumbled. 

Hyejin gestured wildly to the space across her office. “How long are you going to pretend you’re a stupid hamster rug?” she yelled. Byulyi heaved a sigh, and turned away. “Seriously, unnie,” Hyejin said softly, going over to nudge her side with a foot, “when are you going to talk to us?” 

“Nothing to talk about.” 

Hyejin groaned and threw herself on the couch. “You asked for a couple of weeks off. We gave it to you. And now you’ve just spent  half your break being weird in the office. You should be at home, and going on dates, and writing books, and whatever else you want to do.”

“Nah.’

“Moon Byulyi, I’m going to kick your fucking ass if you don’t talk to me right this second,” Hyejin growled, jabbing a finger into her own open palm for emphasis. 

But Byulyi’s cheeks remained glued to the carpet. “What do you wanna talk about?” she drawled. 

“What do  _ I _ want to talk about?” Hyejin fumed. “I want to talk about _ what the fuck you’re doing with you goddamn life! _ ”

Byulyi winced, but considered the question for a moment. Her mouth edged open, then shut closed when she realized she didn’t have an answer. “My life? I don’t know,” she confessed quietly. “I don’t even know what I  _ want _ to do.” 

Hyejin softened. “Do you...want to start working again?” 

Byulyi swung her head vigorously from left to right. “No.”

“Wheein told me that,” Hyejin paused to bite her lip, “you don’t want to be a Valet anymore.” 

“I never said that.”

“No, but even I can see you’re on the fence about it. Is it because of Yongsun? I know I shouldn’t have forced you to do something you weren’t comfortable with, but I was just...you know…”

“What?”

Hyejin groaned loudly, and ran a hand down her face. “I was worried, okay? God, you’re always making me say these embarrassing things.” 

Byulyi sat up, and gave Hyejin a long look. A lazy smile grew on her face as Hyejin began to shift uncomfortably. “Maybe you should be more honest,” she chuckled half-heartedly. “Nothing wrong with admitting how much you love me, Hyejinie.”

Hyejin rolled her eyes. “So should you. About your own feelings.”

Byulyi folded her knees up to her chest. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“About Yongsun.” 

“Is that your matchmaking sixth sense telling you?” She leaned her head on her knees, and turned to make a face at Hyejin. 

“Actually,” Hyejin propped her chin up in both hands, a wicked smile spread across her red lips, “Wheein and I saw everything with our own eyes.” 

Byulyi unfolded herself slowly. “What? What are you talking about?” 

“We were sitting behind you, you know. You were just too sweaty to notice,” Hyejin scoffed.

“You’re not serious.”

Hyejin cleared her throat. “‘With all due respect, Sir,’” she mimicked in a high voice, “‘Yongsun is one of the most beautiful, intelligent, and brave women I know,’ et cetera, et cetera. Sound familiar? Oh! And when Yongsun took your hand and left...I can totally see why you’d fall head over heels for that woman. That was seriously hot as hell.” 

“Oh my god,” Byulyi mumbled into her hands, mortified. “WHY?”

Hyejin hid her mouth behind a fist to stifle her laugh. “Don’t be mad, unnie. We just wanted to make sure you were alright. For the record, Wheein told me not to meddle—she thought we were just having dinner—but I wanted to see for myself before I gave up on the idea. The first time might have just been stupid fun, but when I saw how badly you were affected by it, I had to see for myself.” 

She placed a hand on Byulyi’s shoulder, and when she didn’t flinch back, she pulled her closer into a hug. “The point is,” Hyejin continued, “you like her, and she likes you too.”

“Stop,” Byulyi whispered. “Don’t...joke about things like this. And I’m not stupid, I know. I know that she’s...different from other clients. I know that, but I’m not...I’m just a Valet, Hyejin. That’s the problem. Beyond this,” she tugged at the hem of her black suit jacket, “I don’t have anything. I don’t know how else to  _ be _ . Do you get it, Hyejin?” 

For a long time, Hyejin didn’t say anything. She watched the way her best friend’s knuckles gripped at the jacket. Though she seldom spoke so openly about her feelings, Hyejin knew it was a longstanding conflict, even when she first approached the nervous new graduate with the idea. She remembered the way she lit up, then retreat back into herself as she shook her head and pushed the idea back into her lap. She smiled, thinking how little the shy university student who tripped over her bag in the lecture hall had changed in spite of all lives she’d changed. 

Perhaps it was time to put that sparkle back into their star. 

“Hey, unnie. I have a batch of fresh meat coming in for interviews on Monday. Why don’t you sit in?”

 

—

 

On Monday, Hyejin presented her with a jacket of maroon tweed with a matching vest. “Wear it with the white pants,” she’d instructed, “no tie. You’ll look like my assistant. You’re going to walk in like you own the place, alright? I want you to show these kids what a Valet looks like. A gold-star, grade A Valet. So you better awe them.” 

An hour later, she stepped into the lobby, where a line of men and women with neatly combed hair, pressed shirts, and carefully ironed pants greeted her. Byulyi’s gaze quickly scanned over the eager, confident faces, then at Hyejin, who stood at the front of the group, explaining the process like a battle-hardened sergeant. 

Wheein appeared beside her with a bottle of water. “We’re going to meet them out back in the garden.” Byulyi took the bottle, and, together with Wheein, walked past the hopeful recruits, past the waterfall, the row of prep rooms, Hyejin’s office, and into the back garden. 

A long table with three seats under the wooden arch was set up on the far side of the modest garden. An ice bucket holding a bottle of champagne awaited them beside three slim flutes. They crossed the stone path and sat down under the shade of the leafy vines above them. 

“I should’ve moped out here,” Byulyi quipped. 

“I would’ve killed you if you depress my flowers to death,” Wheein replied, handing Byulyi a yellow legal pad. “Here, for notes.” 

“Notes for what?”

Wheein shrugged, then proceeded to lay out an array of snacks. “Anything that strikes you. Personality, style, charisma. The good and the bad. Hyejin will lead the interview, but we’ll be watching and observing, and we’ll all discuss briefly after each interview. Simple enough, right?” 

“Then what’s up with the drill sergeant speech?” 

Wheein ripped open a bag of chips and poured it into a clear bowl. “Snacks?” Byulyi shook her head. “Honestly,” Wheein said, waving a chip between her fingers, “I think Hyejin just likes it. Officially, she says it’s to scare off the not-so-serious candidates.”

“I can see that.”

Several minutes later, Hyejin waltzed in, followed by the first interviewee, a tall, slender man in a blue polo and shorts. Byulyi noted down his outfit. Contrary to what his appearance suggested, his mannerisms spoke of exactly the kind of gentleman material that people loved. Perhaps too much so. Byulyi scribbled away. 

“Not bad,” Wheein said. 

“Good with compliments,” Hyejin nodded, “without being creepy. I’m glad someone else appreciates your new hair colour, Wheeinie. It’s adorable.”

“Lucky for me,” Wheein said, bumping her shoulder against her fiancée’s, “I can shave my head and still count on you to call me adorable.” 

“Wheeinie!” Hyejin gasped. “You don’t think I’m being sincere?” 

“Wheein can punch you in the face and you’d still think it’s adorable,” Byulyi added, rolling her eyes. Hyejin swung around and punched her hard in the shoulder. “OW! What was that for?” 

Hyejin flipped her hair. “Exposing my secrets,” she huffed. 

“Not cute at all, Hyejin,” Byulyi said. 

The indomitable woman stuck her tongue out, then called in the next candidate. 

The interviewees came and went, beautiful men and women eager to offer their love to the world. Hyejin challenged them with questions and scenarios, while Wheein played the role of the heartbroken maiden with flourish. The candidates who could not unnerve themselves before Hyejin’s piercing glare would back away from Wheein, duck their heads, and fumble the rest. Those brave enough to succeed would look Hyejin straight in the eye, assert their position, and, if they were smart, ensured her they were non-threatening. 

Byulyi was narrowing down the choices one more time when the last candidate strode in. A small slim woman with dark chocolate hair tied back into a low ponytail. She wore a black shirt, black tie, and a coal-black suit, pristinely ironed, that hugged her body in all the right places. Her short, straight bangs fell over a white mask that stopped just at the tip of her nose. 

The three at the panel gaped. 

Byulyi nudged Hyejin. “I didn’t see a masked hero in the lobby. What is this?” 

Hyejin glanced at her watch. “Well, this doesn’t happen every day, does it? Good thing we’ve got some time. This is going to be  _ really _ interesting.”

“Maybe she’s confused us for a variety show,” Wheein chirped. Then, she turned to the last candidate with a dimpled grin.  “Can you introduce yourself, please, Tuxedo Mask?” 

Tuxedo Mask bent forward in a low bow, long and elegant, like the first note of a waltz. When she straightened herself up, Byulyi could’ve sworn she saw her wink behind the white mask. She looked down at her folded hands to avoid the discomfort. 

“Is that it?” Hyejin asked, crossing her arms. 

The masked stranger crossed the stones, and kneeled right in front of Byulyi, whose heart jumped at the unfamiliar sight. All afternoon the interviewees had interacted with Wheein, whose presence invited the perfect image of the well-deserving client. Truthfully, it had never been spoken outright that Wheein would play the role, but between Hyejin’s hard gaze, and Byulyi’s cool confidence, every candidate had made the assumption. Now, as the woman kneeled before her, one arm draped across her knee and the other hidden behind her back, Byulyi wasn’t sure how to react. 

From behind her back, a single long-stemmed rose appeared in her white-gloved hand. 

The magic trick incited a collective gasp from the panel before the world went still. Wheein was nearly folded over onto Hyejin’s lap as she tried to get a better look. Hyejin had dropped her pencil along with her jaw. And Byulyi, unfamiliar to this position, reached out apprehensively. Tuxedo Mask met her halfway. Warm fingers curled around Byulyi’s own as brown eyes clashed like lightning. 

There was something familiar about the woman. Her free hand reached out toward the mask, but another hand pressed into her palm, and pushed it back into her own space. Dumbfounded, Byulyi dropped both hands into her lap, the rose held gingerly between her thumb and forefinger. 

Tuxedo Mask bowed again, then turned and disappeared through the glass doors. 

Wheein was the first to speak: “I like her.” 

“Wheein-ah,” Hyejin whined, “can you imagine all the complaints coming in?”

Wheein laughed, and poked Hyejin on the nose. “Hyejin-ah, you’re so cute when you look all jealous and dangerous. Don’t worry, Wheein won’t run off with someone who didn’t even give Wheein a rose.” Hyejin pouted back, and Wheein took the opportunity to press both palms against her fiancé e’s cheeks, giggling when Hyejin screwed up her face and stuck out a tongue. 

“But who  _ was _ that?” Byulyi whispered. 

Hyejin broke away from Wheein’s attention for only a moment. “Not a damn clue, Sailor Moon,” she said. 

Unperturbed by the sudden theatrics, Hyejin dug her fingers into Wheein’s side, grinning when she heard the yelping laughter she loved so much. Wheein protested loudly, but Hyejin pushed forward, tickling both sides until Wheein shot out of her chair and raced across the garden with her fiancé e close behind. 

Meanwhile, Byulyi looked down at the rose, then at her other hand, where a slip of paper laid on her palm.

_ Meet me outside.  _

Byulyi’s head shot up, but her friends were still more than a little distracted. Hyejin caught Wheein in her arms, laughing as Wheein pretended to push her away only to pull her back in and meet her lips halfway. Byulyi bit her lip. 

“Hyejin-ah,” she called, then made a face when all she received was a deep moan. She averted her eyes from the increasingly heated make-out session before her. Ever the third wheel, she wondered if one could ever really get used to such a discomforting honor. Without another thought, she took her gifts and slipped past the couple to mull over the situation some more in the lobby. 

If she turned back then, she might have noticed Hyejin and Wheein doubled over in laughter in the garden, maybe even the thumbs up being exchanged. But caught up in the possibilities of the note, she simply walked through the waiting room, where several lingering interviewees watched her admiringly as she passed, and into the lobby. 

Little did she expect the masked woman to be already waiting with her arms crossed at the entrance. 

The masked woman watched her steadily through the oval cut-outs of her mask. Byulyi urged her stiff limbs to comply, but a moment later the woman turned and disappeared through the frosted glass doors. Her silhouette wavered, then faded away. Suddenly, Byulyi’s feet flew to the door—her shoulder tackled it, banging it open—and stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, just in time to see the figure in black turn a corner. 

“Wait!” she cried, running after her without a second thought. 

She rounded the corner of the building and into the parking lot, the rose swinging its petals precariously in her hands. 

Her breath caught when she saw the black figure casually leaning on a ruby-red Tesla. The figure’s red lips drew into a grin.

“Yongsun...unnie?” Byulyi whispered. She hadn’t realized she found the courage to approach Yongsun until she was close enough to tug at her elbow. 

Then the woman hooked a thumb under her white mask, then pulled it down to her neck and shook her chestnut hair out from its strings. Byulyi’s eyes widened even more. 

“Ouch, you look disappointed, Byulyi.”

A rich laughter filled the air as Byulyi instinctively bowed. “Miss Bae.”

“After all we’ve been through,” Irene said, fingering the soft petals of her gift, “I’m a little disappointed at such a lacklustre response.” 

“I’m sorry,” Byulyi replied with a small smile. “It was just...unexpected. I don’t mean to offend, but, Miss Bae, you don’t seem the type to pull...whatever this was.”

“The look on your face was pretty priceless, unnie,” a third voice joined in. “And isn’t Irene-unnie the coolest?” 

Byulyi turned to see the familiar brunette pop up from the passenger side, a brilliant smile plastered on her face. “Seulgi! You were behind this, weren’t you?” 

“Nope!” Seulgi gave her a big thumbs up. “But I taught this bunny the magic trick!”

“Bunny?” Byulyi made a face.

Irene shoved Byulyi lightly. “We will not speak of this,” she said ominously. 

“Yes, Miss Bunny,” Byulyi laughed. The look she received was absolute venom, but the tint of pink across the woman’s cheeks was such a novel sight that Byulyi didn’t mind. 

Irene cleared her throat. “Anyway,” she said, “we need to get going. You’ve got quite the day ahead of you, Byulyi.”

Without another word, Byulyi slid into the backseat, an unfamiliar place in the familiar car, and studied the profiles of her friends as they buckled themselves in. 

“Seulbear, can you pull up the GPS?” 

Byulyi met Irene’s eyes through the rearview mirror and smirked at the affectionate nickname. 

“Hyun-ah, I know where we’re going.” Seulgi gave Irene’s hand on the gear stick a pat. 

“Okay, I trust you.” Seulgi leaned forward for a quick kiss. Then, they exchanged a smile so sweet that Byulyi thought she might get motion sickness before the car even began moving. 

She averted her eyes to the green Kia parked beside them, unable to comprehend how her life seemed to revolve around couples, so perfectly crafted from the cheesiest dramas. 

Nobody seemed to understand the struggles of being a constant third wheel.  

 

—

 

Irene wove into traffic seamlessly as Byulyi recounted the way her life flashed before her eyes the first time she sat in this same car. Irene smirked as the details of her story unfolded, and at the end, said, “That is definitely one of Yongsun’s strangest quirks. She’s quite an observant person, but for some reason whenever she drives, she thinks she’s Vin Diesel and nothing else seems to matter. And if you think she’s crazy in a car, you should watch her ride a horse. Somehow she makes the two skill sets transferrable.” 

“But Hyun-ah, maybe it’s different for you because you drive like a grandma,” Seulgi quipped. 

“Kang. Seul. Gi.” Irene’s voice was flat, but Seulgi immediately laughed and sheepishly apologized. Irene nodded curtly, but at the next red light, she leaned over to give Seulgi a kiss on the cheek. 

Byulyi sighed.

Fortunately, only five minutes later, they pull into a very familiar street and up to a very familiar apartment complex. She’d seen the same street lamps, and the same beige structure only a thousand times. 

“This is...my place?” Byulyi said, peering out the window. 

A perfect parallel parking job later, Irene unbuckled her seatbelt. “Here we are.” 

Byulyi scrunched her face in confusion, and rolled down her window to get a better look. “Did you want me to get something? Do I need to change?” 

Outside, a voice laughed, and Byulyi’s heart leapt out of her chest. And there, only a step away,  Yongsun peered down through the window, dressed in the same black suit that Irene wore, a white mask catching the sun beneath her mane of pink waves. 

“Maroon looks gorgeous on you, Byul,” Yongsun said, smiling. 

Byulyi sat staring up at her, her body frozen at the way her words fell so effortlessly, yet flushed red-hot at the way those same words struck her. The door popped open, and there she was, her pink head bobbing in a bow as she extended a gloved hand toward her. Dazzled by the awkward half-smile, Byulyi was at a loss. Yongsun shook her head, then stooped down to put Byulyi’s hand in her own. 

“Trust me, Byul,” she said softly, “I want to make you feel special today for once.” 

“W-what do you mean?”

Yongsun laid a hand on her heart and recited a very familiar introduction: “My name is Yongsun, and I will be your Valet this evening.” 

Byulyi’s wide eyes studied the face of a woman so intent on bulldozing into her life. She searched her face, wondering what she could’ve done to deserve such an honour to be a part of the charade. Nonetheless, she slipped her hand in hers, wanting to play the role as best she could, then blushed when she realized how ridiculous she must’ve looked in her maroon suit and tall, boyish frame. It wasn’t cool at all. 

But somehow, Yongsun’s smile never faltered. If anything, it only grew wider, as if to tell her that it was alright. She took Yongsun’s offered elbow and stepped onto the curb. 

“Thank you, Irene,” Yongsun said, waving in through the half-drawn window. “Thank you Seulgi.”

Irene nodded back, while Seulgi waved her goodbyes excitedly. The Tesla pulled away with a gentle roar and disappeared down the street. 

“Shall we?” Yongsun said.

Byulyi nodded stiffly, and allowed herself to be led into the lobby.  But at the concierge’s quizzical expression, she broke from Yongsun’s touch. By habit, she placed her hand at the small of Yongsun’s back, barely touching the fabric of the black silk. She felt Yongsun’s eyes, but it wasn’t until the elevator doors slid close before them that Yongsun spoke: “Relax, Byul.” 

Relax.

Why was that mantra repeated whenever Yongsun was involved? Did she really look so anxious? She assessed her blur in the brushed metal elevator doors. With her arms at her sides, and her back ramrod-straight, she certainly didn’t seem  _ particularly _ anxious. 

But Yongsun seemed to see right through her: “You’re uncomfortable with this, aren’t you?” 

“With what?” Byulyi laughed lightly, but the sound shook itself out of her throat and manifested into a nervous chuckle. 

She pointed. “Me.” 

Byulyi fought her blush. “That...might be true,” she admitted. “You’re not like most of the clients I’ve encountered. I hope you’ll forgive me if I have fallen short in any way. I will try harder to accommodate your needs.” She bowed to finish off her hasty excuses with as much grace as she could, but Yongsun did not look impressed in spite of the slight pink in her cheeks.

Instead, she shook her head. “Even now, you still have to be so damn cool, huh?”

 

—

 

Daebakkie greeted both of them with more enthusiasm than the best of the Valets, past, present, and future. He circled their legs, and pounced on Yongsun’s calves with his tongue hanging out. 

“What a cute puppy!” Yongsun squealed, bending down to scratch him behind the ears. Daebakkie stomped his stubby legs in excitement. 

Byulyi stood dumbly at the door, watching this strong, successful woman dissolve into goo next to the corgi. It was unfair that a woman could be so powerful and adorable at the same time. 

“Well then!” She straightened up, and smoothed out the pleats of her pants. “Why don't you make yourself comfortable? I'll make you something to eat.” 

Byulyi nodded, still unable to process the full extent of this entire situation, and floated toward the modest island. She edged onto the barstool, fingers drumming against the gloss countertop anxiously. 

Before her, Yongsun opened her fridge and bent over to rummage through its contents. Byulyi shifted her eyes, but silently cursed when she found them inevitably drawn to the other woman’s shape. 

“Byul-ah.”

Byulyi jolted. 

Yongsun briefly peered back behind her shoulder with a sharp look. “Why is your fridge so empty?” She chided. “Are you eating properly?” 

“Well, I—”

“So no.”

The Valet rubbed her neck. “Sorry?” 

“I'm going to order a pizza,” Yongsun declared with a huff. She pulled out her phone to make the order, then carried two steaming mugs of tea to the island. 

Byulyi accepted the mug graciously, and shifted her stool to give Yongsun some space to squeeze in. They did not say anything for a while, each with their own unique sets of thought, yet unable to effectively piece the courage and the words together. 

Finally, Yongsun broke the ice. “You're a very good Valet, you know.” 

Byulyi smiled. “So you've said. Several times.” 

“You've given me a lot of courage each time we met, and I never thanked you for that.” Byulyi watched the way she ran her index finger over the rim of her cup, looking, as uncertain as she had when they first met. 

“All I did was sit beside you,” Byulyi chuckled. 

“And sometimes that's enough,” she said, placing a hand on Byulyi’s wrist. “You know I spent my life trying to rebel and fit in at the same time. There has always been...so many lies...but I guess I thought that if I craft my lies carefully, I could live and be myself too. The truth is,” she paused to search through the impenetrable black of Byulyi’s eyes, “My career isn't as impressive as everyone makes it out to be, at least not in the public eye. I’m an environmental lawyer—and it's wonderfully fulfilling, but it doesn't exactly bring the kind of glamour that my family wants to believe. Fighting men in suits about pollution laws isn't as exciting as taking down serial killers, but why should everything be about appearances anyway?” 

“It sounds impressive to me,” Byulyi said, absently nodding. 

“Thank you, Byul,” Yongsun replied. Then, remembering her duties, she slid off the bar stool and stood behind Byulyi. “I almost forgot that I'm supposed to be your Valet tonight.” She laughed, and despite Byulyi’s weak protests, she dug both hands into her shoulder and began to knead gently at the tight muscle beneath the fabrics. Byulyi stifled a whimper.

“Anyway,” Yongsun went on, “my appa is a district attorney, and he's surrounded by criminal and corporate lawyers. He thinks that all I do is run around saving trees.” She sighed. “But I guess it doesn't matter. Who cares what that elitist jerk thinks?”

“But it does matter, doesn't it?” Byulyi said craning around to peek at the other woman from the corner of her eye. She turned back and stared at her hands in her lap. “You’re an incredibly strong and independent woman, but you can't help but doubt yourself sometimes because...maybe a part of you just wants him to recognize you as the person you really are. And I'm...sorry you were ever made to feel this way.” 

Her hands stilled on Byulyi’s shoulders, then disappeared. Byulyi looked up from her hands and found herself staring right into the same eyes that haunted every moment of her days since she’d first met them. She realized briefly that the details of her irises were not as familiar as she thought, but all coherent thoughts were cut short when those warm hands found themselves against her cheek. 

“And you’re the same,” Yongsun whispered. 

Byulyi’s heart dropped to her stomach. She had lowered her guard so far that this woman had waltzed in and made her home before she even realized what happened. But, perhaps scariest of all, she didn’t mind. To feel so vulnerable and exposed yet safe...it must be a very well-crafted illusion, she reasoned. 

“You are...a very good Valet,” Byulyi chuckled nervously. 

Yongsun bit her lip, but just then the pizza arrived.

 

—

 

The pizza was gone by the time either of them realize d how much time had flown by in each other’s company. Their light-hearted conversation melted Byulyi’s anxieties away, and—though she could not pinpoint the exact reason then—she thought of the Aston Martin and how equally liberating it was to drive it through the hills. 

Yongsun had filled Byulyi in on Seulgi’s new position: “Irene hired Seulgi on as a brand manager for her startup, and she claims that sales have gone up. Hopefully, their relationship won't be too strained by their professional lives, but I've never seen Irene so whipped before, so that's a good sign.” 

“Seulgi is a good kid. I'm sure she will do everything she can to please Irene.”

“They're adorable, aren't they? Last time we went out, Irene ended up sleeping in Seulgi’s lap in the backseat. In her previous relationships, she'd be too afraid to even hold hands!”

“Love has a funny way of making you bolder, doesn't it?” 

“It certainly does.”

Byulyi filled Yongsun in on Hyejin and Wheein’s upcoming wedding plans: “Hyejin was planning to run away to Canada to see the Northern Lights and secretly have their wedding beneath it. But unless we could get  _ everyone  _ spending thousands of dollars to fly over there, Wheein didn't want to do it. She was adamant that after years of hiding, she'd be having her wedding in front of hundreds of people, so she could proudly declare Hyejin to be hers or whatever.” 

“Hyejin is secretly a pretty romantic person, isn't she? Wheein too.” 

“That girl would move mountains for Wheein, and Wheein probably would do the same. Then the two idiots would probably hire a helicopter instead and end up completely missing each other.” 

“They are two of the most passionate and brilliant people I've ever met, and their chemistry is undeniable.” 

“They have their ups and downs too, but I agree. They are perfect for each other.” 

After dinner, Yongsun insisted on washing Byulyi’s hair. But when twenty minutes of persistence passed and Byulyi could not be moved, she asked if she could brush her hair instead. 

“I don’t think anyone has brushed my hair since I was a child,” Byulyi said, wrinkling her nose. “Unless you count hair stylists.” 

Yongsun brandished the hairbrush and patted the space beside her on the bed. “All the more reason for you to let me,” she said with a grin. Not wanting to disappoint the eager smile, Byulyi relented and climbed onto the bed to sit cross-legged beside her. Yongsun’s comforting hand rested at her neck as she slid the brush through her hair, and Byulyi wondered if this felt so wonderful when she was a child. She closed her eyes as the brush ran its laps. 

“You have beautiful hair, Byul,” Yongsun said. Byulyi felt her breath ghost by her ear, and she shivered. “It’s very soft.” 

“Thank you.”

Yongsun hummed. “I never knew there was so much joy in brushing someone’s hair. I should’ve been a hair stylist.” 

“And if I knew that this felt so nice, I would’ve done it for my clients sooner,” she laughed. "I hope you'll allow me to brush your hair as well."

The hand stilled. “Do you have to?”

Byulyi opened her eyes. “What do you mean? You don't want me to brush your hair? It feels very nice.”

“No, not that. I mean…I was thinking that this could be our thing,” Yongsun mumbled. “Is that...weird?”

“No...not at all.”

The fell into a comfortable silence, each sidestepping the words they want to say the most as Yongsun continued her gentle strokes. 

Later, when the sun dipped far below the horizon and the streetlamps blinked on, they found themselves on Byulyi’s couch, laid out on either side with Daebakkie soundly curled up between them. 

“Thank you for spending the evening with me,” Byulyi said, watching the rise and fall of Daebakkie’s breathing. 

Yongsun did the same. “It was a pleasure,” she said. 

“It's strange to be on this side though, I'll admit.” 

Yongsun laughed, though her eyes remained glued to the innocent face of the sleeping dog. “And I'll admit that it feels like I'm the client as well. It’s not so different, is it?” 

“I suppose not...technically. But the feelings behind our roles are not the same, I imagine,” Byulyi said, nodding as one hand reached out to comb down Daebakkie’s fur. 

Yongsun watched her slender fingers work. “To take care of someone versus being taken care of...it’s a different kind of pleasure—you're right—but isn't it so much more fulfilling to be able to do both in any relationship? For example,” she looked up at Byulyi with a shy smile, “I love it when you make me feel special—w-who doesn't?—but it also makes me really...happy...when I do something to make you happy, whether it's intended or not. It's a natural human response to feel happy when other people respond to you positively,” she added quickly. 

Byulyi chuckled, laying her hands on Daebakkie’s warm body to resist the urge to touch Yongsun’s heated cheeks. Her words affected her fluttering heart far too easily. “I never thought I'd ever get to be a client,” she said, hoping to veer off the subject. “Ever since Hyejin and Wheein got engaged, they've been teasing me about hiring a Valet for their wedding to be my date.” She chuckled. “What a pair we’d make, two Valet’s dressed up for a wedding. We’d probably just make a scene because we’d be fighting over who gets to pull the chair out for the other person.”

Despite the ridiculousness of the scene, Yongsun was not laughing.  

“You give so much, Byul,” Yongsun sighed, “why are you so uncomfortable with taking? Even tonight, you feel the need to do something for me every time I did something for you. You’re always calculating, but I just want to spoil you.” 

Byulyi rubbed her neck sheepishly. “This...I don’t know. It’s my job. If I’m honest...these days, I don’t really know how to be any other way. Sometimes I can’t tell if I’m doing my job or I’m being myself, and at the end of the sessions, I’m at a loss. Look,” she pointed to the clock on the opposite wall, “your session is ending in seventeen minutes. You’re going to leave, and then this whole charade will end. Then what? You’ll go back to being Kim Yongsun, environmental lawyer, and I will lay here and wait for my next charade.” Then, she sighed. “I’m sorry, I don't know why I told you all of this. I didn’t mean to burden you with these trifling problems. You have enough to worry about as it is.” 

For a long time, Yongsun said nothing. Her brows furrowed as she absentmindedly rubbed the dip behind Daebakkie’s ear. Meanwhile, Byulyi bore the silence uncomfortably, kicking herself for throwing the awkward veil on top of their comfortable night. 

Finally, Yongsun sucked in a breath. “Why haven’t you asked why I came up with this elaborate plan to be your Valet?” 

“Y-you?” Byulyi shot forward. “I’m sorry, I’d assumed Hyejin…”

Yongsun shook her head. 

“Then...why?” 

“Because,” she looked up and into Byulyi’s eyes, “you make me feel all these wonderful things, and I want you to feel them too.” 

“I….” Byulyi swallowed breath and hoped it would manifest into a burst of much-needed courage. “I…” Her courage fizzled. She pressed a palm into the fabric of the couch to steady her hand. “I think your four hours are up.” 

Yongsun’s face fell. “Well, yes,” she whispered, “but can’t I stay a little longer?” 

“Valets can’t stay too long...or you will break the illusion. You shouldn’t break the illusion,” Byulyi replied, pushing herself  off the couch. 

But as she stood, Yongsun shot up and grabbed her cuff. The sudden movement woke Daebakki, who glanced up at the two humans standing before him, then rolled onto his side with a comfortable whine. 

“W-what if I want to?” Yongsun said. “What if I don’t want the illusion?” 

“Yongsun-unnie,” Byulyi sighed, and shifted her hand to hold Yongsun’s fingers on her open palm. “You are my client, and I am trained to appeal to you as best as I can. If I’m honest, unnie, I don’t think you’d feel the same way without this illusion.”

Yongsun folded her fingers between Byulyi’s. “Maybe we’re not talking about the same illusion. Maybe—and please tell me if I’m wrong, because I am hopeful I’m right—there is no illusion. Maybe the way you look at me, the way you never meet my eyes sometimes, even though you can say all these greasy things so easily...maybe it’s not an illusion.” She held Byulyi’s hand, and placed it over her own heart heart. “Maybe the way you make my heart beat so quickly isn’t an illusion.” Then she released her hold on her hand, took a step closer, and pressed an open palm over Byulyi’s maroon vest. “And the way your heart is beating now...maybe that can be genuine too?” 

“Yongsun-unnie,” she whispered. She felt her lips before she could find the words—felt the shudder of her mask, all her boundaries and her loyalties, explode behind her eyes. She sighed into the very pair of lips she never dared to let herself fantasize about, and gingerly held Yongsun’s jaw with her hands as she returned the kiss. 

Yongsun snaked her arms around Byulyi and wrapped them around her neck, chests closely pressed together. The heat squeezed through every illusion of space between them, leaving them panting for breath by the time they broke free. 

“You...don’t do this with your clients, do you?” Yongsun said, dropping her hands down to Byulyi’s shoulders.

It took a moment for Byulyi’s wild eyes to reach reality, face flushed pink, one hand still warm on Yongsun’s cheek. “N-no, of course not, I—”

“Good,” Yongsun smiled, then leaned her forehead against Byulyi’s. “I don’t want to be your client. And since my time is up, I don’t want to be your Valet either.” 

Byulyi chuckled nervously. “Then what?” 

“You’ll really make a girl say it?” Yongsun arched a brow. 

Byulyi stepped even closer, and caressed the soft skin of her cheek with a thumb. “Then,” a smile spread across Byulyi’s face, so wide that it scrunched up her nose in that way that Yongsun adored, “Kim Yongsun, you are beautiful, intelligent, kind, and you’ve been the queen of my heart the moment I laid eyes on you. Would you allow me the honour to take care of you, and only you, as my one and only? Even though I’m just a humble Valet...for as long as you’ll have me, I promise to cherish you, and care for you, and take care of you, and—”

“B-Byul-ah, why does that sound like a marriage proposal?”  

Byulyi flushed deep crimson and dropped her hand from Yongsun’s face to cover her own. “I'm sorry, was that too much?” She mumbled, “I've never done this before, but I just…” Byulyi uncovered her face to give Yongsun a shy glance before averting her eyes. “You’re perfect, and I just...I like you so much that I don't know what to do with myself sometimes. I feel like I'm going to wake up and find that none of this happened.”

“You're right,” a finger lifted Byulyi’s chin, “you're not going to remember a thing tomorrow.” 

Her heart dropped. “What?”

Yongsun burst into a fit of laughter, that loud, wheezing laugh that somehow too Byulyi’s breath away too. “I'm kidding, I'm kidding,” she said in between giggles. Byulyi sighed in relief and unclenched a fist she couldn't recall clenching. “But you should've seen the look on your face, Byul-ah. It was so funny.” Byulyi flushed and ducked her head. 

Yongsun softened. She tilted a finger to lift Byulyi’s chin up to meet her eyes once more. “This is real, Byul,” she said with a wide grin, “in fact, after your second confession, I think I fell in love with you just a little bit more.”

“But, unnie, I...I'm not cool at all.”

Yongsun shook her head. “I wouldn't like you half as much if you were just your smooth-talking, greasy self.” She chuckled, then leaned in for a second kiss that was Byulyi was only too happy to receive. “I can't tell you what to feel about yourself,” she whispered against her lips, “but just know that I love everything about the complex human behind the mask, just as I hope you do too.” 

The fire in Yongsun’s eyes burned bold and bright. Byulyi could hardly think under the fearless woman’s gaze when only three words rattled in her brain. 

“I do,” Byulyi replied with a sheepish smile, “I love you, Kim Yongsun.”

Yongsun flushed. “Aish, I was talking about loving yourself, dummy,” she said, wrapping her hands behind Byulyi’s neck, “but I'm more than okay with this too.”

“Then,” Byulyi pulled her closer by the waist, “will you, Kim Yongsun, be my plus one?” 

Yongsun grinned. “Only if you'll be mine. I'm sure my family is dying to see you again for my sister’s wedding.” 

“For you, I'm ready for anything.”                                                                                                                                                                                            

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was originally posted on AsianFanfics.com, where I divided the story up into chapters. Please follow me over there for the most up-to-date postings!


End file.
